Matfen

Matfen is a village and a civil parish in Northumberland, England, near the towns of Hexham and Newcastle upon Tyne. It is an example of a nineteenth-century planned estate village. It was the birthplace of the nineteenth-century Premier of British Columbia, William Smithe.LandmarksMatfen Hall is operated as a hotel and country club. The Grade II* listed building was built c.1828 by Sir Edward Blackett to replace an earlier 17th Century house.The Devil's Causeway passes the village less than 2mi to the west. The causeway is a Roman road which starts at Port Gate on Hadrian's Wall, north of Corbridge, and extends 55mi northwards across Northumberland to the mouth of the River Tweed at Berwick-upon-Tweed.Notable peopleThomas Bates (1775–1849), eminent stockbreeder, born in Matfen.William Smithe (1842–1887), 7th premier of British Columbia, born in Matfen.Lorna Hill (1902–1991), prolific writer for children, wife of the rector of Matfen.

Plan the details of your Matfen holiday and any onward adventuring with our easy-to-use United Kingdom (UK) family vacation planner.Source